Revolt of Czechoslovak Legion

Overview

The revolt of the Czechoslovak Legion comprised the armed actions of the Czechoslovak Legion in the Russian Civil War against Bolshevik authorities, beginning in May 1918 and persisting through evacuation of the Legion from Siberia to Europe in 1920. The revolt, occurring in Volga, Ural, and Siberia regions along the Trans-Siberian Railway, was a reaction to a threat initiated by the Bolsheviks partly as a consequence of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. One major secondary consequence of victories by the Legion over the Bolsheviks was to catalyze anti-Bolshevik activity in Siberia, particularly of the Committee of Members of the Constituent Assembly, and to provide a major boost for the anti-Bolshevik or White forces, likely protracting the Russian Civil War.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The revolt of the Czechoslovak Legion, stretching from May 1918 through the Legion's eventual evacuation from Siberia in 1920, constituted one of the more consequential interventions in the early phase of the Russian Civil War. Comprising roughly 42,000 troops operating along the Trans-Siberian Railway through the Volga, Ural, and Siberian regions, the Legion seized the initiative against Bolshevik forces as a direct reaction to threats stemming from the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. The Legion's victories against the Russian SFSR had significant secondary effects: they catalyzed organized anti-Bolshevik resistance in Siberia, most notably energizing the Committee of Members of the Constituent Assembly, and provided a substantial material and psychological boost to White forces broadly. This consolidation of opposition is assessed as having prolonged the Russian Civil War, making the Legion's revolt a pivotal episode not merely for its military outcomes but for the broader shape and duration of the conflict.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (16)